Bindertwine
by genkischuldich
Summary: Yami no Matsuei Weiß Kreuz crossover. Riko the cactus shikigami searches for his soulmate, and finds Momoe-san, the lovely old lady who runs the Koneko no Sumu Ie flowershop. Momoe x Riko, Youji x Aya.


Bindertwine / GenkiSchuldich  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Riko the cactus shikigami searches for his soulmate, and finds Momoe-san, the lovely old lady who runs the Koneko no Sumu Ie flowershop. Momoe x Riko.  
  
Notes: Thanks to Manon, Farferello, and Kwobtchan, who all encouraged me to write this fic. And, of course, to eeryone who commented afterwards, especially Dimmie who corrected my fangirl Spanish. Thank you all! ^___^  
  
Disclaimer: Riko belongs to Matsushita Youko, while Weiß Kreuz belongs to Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiß. No infringement intended, no money made.  
  
***  
  
Bindertwine  
  
"Heeeey~~yy, amigo..." whispered Riko into the cool night air just outside Ikebukuro station in Tokyo. "Mi amigo, Hisoka...."  
  
But Hisoka wasn't there anymore. He was gone. Gone to find Kurikara and to swap him for something better. However, that wasn't to say the area was empty. The ground thundered from both the express trains that roared by and the commuters that rushed past him. Schoolgirls in their sailor suits, high-school boys in their winter uniforms, women clad in kimono and sandals; all strode to the exit and often accidentally knocked him over.  
  
They apologised profusely, until they looked down and realised they were begging a mere cactus for forgiveness.  
  
He stared forlornly at his lost soil that lay in a pile on the floor in front of him, just out of reach. It was special soil, from the land of Gensoukai. Not quite sand, not quite soil, and specially made for cacti such as himself. He'd felt as if they'd taken a small part of him when he saw it sitting there.  
  
He doffed his cowboy hat and threw it in front of him, upside down. Next, out came his miniature banjo, one that had been carved for him specially by another shikigami. His favourite.  
  
Dare he risk a love song? He cleared his throat, and pictured his blond and pouting master in his mind's eye. "O mi amor...,"   
  
Suddenly, the world that he'd been staring at for the past hour disappeared. It was a world of disembodied legs, each pair running to catch an even more important train than the last. Ground-level Tokyo was instead replaced by the puzzled expression of a commuter. His eyes glinted red-pink in the neon jungle of Ikebukuro and he grinned.  
  
"See, Aya?" Youji said, each syllable pronounced individually, as if to prove he wasn't drunk. "It's a toy robot. I'm pre~tty sure I saw one for sale in Shibuya the other day, actually."  
  
Another face joined the other man's and stared at it as if it was some kind of personal insult. "That's a cactus. A real one."  
  
Something about that man made Riko's pot quake. Nevertheless, he began his song again. "O mi amor..."  
  
"But Aya...Aya, it's *singing*," Youji interrupted to protest too loudly. "Are you sure? They can make them look really realistic, you know?"  
  
"Don't argue with a florist!" snapped Aya. "I can tell. It's...." He faltered uncharacteristically. "It's a talking cactus," he said finally.  
  
With that, Youji snatched Riko up off the ground. With just one hand, he held him aloft to the rest of the Tokyo Underground. "You see a talking cactus, I see unrefined tequila!" he announced and for some reason, this statement involved him grabbing Aya's arse.  
  
"Youji, you're drunk," said Aya impatiently, shifting clumsily on the balls of his feet so as to get a better look at Riko. He looked from Youji to the cactus and back again, trying to make sense of it all.  
  
"Uno...Dos...Tres...!" squealed Riko, and started to play a new tune on the banjo. Something to impress this terrifying young man.  
  
Aya's smooth brow wrinkled in confusion as the trio headed towards the ticket gates, their newest member still humming a tune. "Hn. I'm drunk too, it would seem."  
  
*  
  
Gone midnight. Aya and Youji crept into the flowershop, arms wound tightly around each other. This was a most intriguing tactic on their part, as it meant that when they fell, they'd make a louder crash and knock more things over.  
  
They fell, making a louder crash and knocking more things over than if they'd fallen separately. A mewl rang out from somewhere across from them, followed by a padded stomping sound, like an elephant wrapped in cotton wool.  
  
The Cat padded over to them first, her tail twitching. She had never approved of their relationship, but nor did she approve of anyone other than Momoe-san. When she was woken up like this so often, more usually accompanied by a trail of blood, most could understand why.  
  
Momoe-san followed soon afterwards, tut-tutting at their clumsiness. She tugged on the overhead light, but only when she reached them did she start to pull out her glasses case, and carefully unwrap her spectacles from the cleaning cloth.  
  
Then, with a stronger grip than should be possible for an old lady, she helped them both to their feet. "You're such lovely boys really," Momoe tsked, tugging down Youji's sparkling red crop-top that had risen up a little too far.  
  
"We got this for you," Youji grinned devilishly, throwing her this month's copy of Be-Boy Gold.  
  
"Such nice boys," she repeated, glancing at the cover before tucking it away under her nightie.  
  
"And there's this," growled Aya, picking Riko up off the tiled floor.  
  
Riko's earthenware pot was now cracked in two, his soft soil spilling out on the floor. He whimpered slightly, but only received a glare from Aya. Aya's hands had balled into fists and he was swaying forwards and back, which was probably a bad sign.  
  
"I'm going to take him to bed," Youji insisted loudly, guiding Aya out of the room. Just before he left, he shouted out, "And could you repot that thing?"  
  
Momoe let out a long-suffering sigh and got to work on Riko. She plunged her finger deep into what remained of his soil and jumped back when she heard the tiny cactus moan.  
  
She blinked, peering over the rim of her glasses. "Well, aren't you the strangest little thing?"  
  
"Hola! Me llamo Riko!" He smiled, and held out his hand, his cactus innards trembling with both terror and excitement.  
  
She pressed a finger to his slightly damp skin, fearful of his needles. Then, it was her turn to smile.  
  
"Hello, Riko. Welcome to the flowershop." She brought a flowerpot down from the top shelf and tilted it towards him to see if he liked it.  
  
"Well, hop in," she chided gently.  
  
He did his best, hopping and shaking his shallow roots until he was snug inside. Momoe-san reached for the bag of soil nearby, then, on impulse took a small stick of bamboo that Aya used to give the climbing plants for support. In a nearby drawer, she found the bindertwine. She couldn't help but notice the cactus was breathing heavily when he saw what she'd got.  
  
She stabbed the rod into the earth with a ferocity that made Riko quiver. With fingers as nimble as they were when she was younger she tied his spiked limbs onto it with a twist.  
  
"It's bedtime for you," she clucked, ambling towards her bedroom.   
  
He started his shuffle towards that room with haste, his pottery base making a grinding sound against the smooth ceramic floor. His body thunked against the bamboo.  
  
"I'm coming, Mou-chan!" he yelled gleefully in response.  
  
Owari. 


End file.
